The Shepard
by AprilRyanMyFriend
Summary: The galaxy is saved and the members of the Normandy are trying to move on without their Commander as the process of rebuilding has begun, but is the Commander truly gone? Or is the legend of The Shepard just beginning?
1. Prologue

**This will be a FemShep/Liara, don't like it, don't read it.**

**This idea came from the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Now this is NOT a crossover, but it bears a little explanation.**

**This starts after Shepard saves the galaxy and chose Synthesis. I am borrowing the idea from when Sam died trying to revive Optimus Prime and was given his life back for his selfless act; you can see where I'm going with this. I have taken it and… adjusted it to fit.**

**Besides, if it works in Transformers, it can damn well work in Mass Effect!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Transformers.**

* * *

Warmth.

It surrounded her, filled her. She was not aware of her lack of sight, touch, or any other sense, just a feeling of… peace. There was no sense of time as she seemed to float through this oblivion, no idea who, or what, she was. But, somewhere far away a thought appeared, saying she had something important to do, or had done, and every time she tried to remember what the important thing was, it got further out of reach. She felt no irritation, such a thing had no meaning here, as it went just beyond her reach, but just a constant want to remember.

She reached out again towards the thought and finally was able to grab ahold and watched as a vision filled her mind. She saw a woman leaving a planet as monstrous creatures attacked, and going to another planet the color of blood. She watched as the woman gathered allies from across the galaxy while battling the monsters and others that looked like the human every step of the way.

Finally, the gathered fleet returned to the original planet and the woman was at the center of it all as she led the push on the ground. She watched what would have been a heartbreaking moment as the woman helped an injured comrade with blue skin onto a ship and said, what was no doubt, a lover's goodbye. The ship left as the women turned away and continued her sprint. She had almost reached a bright beam when one of the monsters fired a red ribbon of death and struck her. Even gravely injured, the woman rose again and slowly continued forward and into the beam.

The images stopped and the watcher felt the closest thing possible in this place to disappointment. What happened?

_**You died.**_

The voice came from nowhere and everywhere at once. It was not a single voice that spoke, but millions layered atop one another. Accompanying the voice was a presence, massive and powerful. The presence was beyond the scope of her understanding, and, had she been able to feel, it would have inspired a certain awe and fear.

She did not understand; she was that woman?

_**Yes.**_

At the single word, it all started to come together. How did I die?

_**You selflessly sacrificed yourself to save every species in the galaxy.**_

Why did you show me this?

_**To offer you a choice, stay here or return to the ones you saved.**_

Why me?

_**You put others above yourself and made the ultimate sacrifice to protect them. You have proven yourself worthy of such a gift.**_

I can go back?

_**If that is what you choose.**_

She thought back and remembered the excruciating pain as she staggered towards the beam, if she had been capable of shuddering she would have. Then her thoughts turned to Liara and all of the friends she left behind. All the little blue children…

She made her choice.

_**Very well.**_

* * *

**The chapters will be longer in the future; this chapter is just to start setting the stage.**

** Let me know what ya'll think and whether I should continue or not.**


	2. Chapter 1

**A big thank to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, or did all three!**

**The Commander used in this story is Alexandra(Alex) Shepard, Earthborn, Sole Survivor.**

**Anything that differs from in game canon is either by a personal mistake or changed to go fit with the story.**

_Italics indicates thoughts._

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**

* * *

Awareness was the first thing to return when she left the shapeless void.

Followed by pain.

An agonizing pain that, had her lungs been functioning, would have had her screaming until her voice gave out. After what seemed an eternity, a heartbeat sounded in her ears, followed by another, and another, in an unsteady pattern until it seemed to gain strength and started pounding frantically, bringing her body back to life. Her lungs burned as they filled with blessed, stale air. She groaned, the only sound she was capable of, her voice sounding hoarse and foreign to her ears. Her entire body was afire as muscles awoke and it wasn't until she started shivering violently that she realized she was freezing.

She groaned again, her voice stronger but no more familiar, as her heart slowed to a steady rhythm and the pain started to fade. Alex opened her eyes, but was met with pitch blackness. A wave of panic threatened to overwhelm her, but she shoved it down and focused on her other senses instead. She shifted slightly and heard plastic crinkle. She reached out and confirmed her suspicions as her hand met more plastic. She was in a bag, though she tried not to think too hard on what kind.

With a little searching she found a zipper and managed to work it open a little, light flooding in and burning her eyes. Eyes watering, she unzipped it as far as she could reach. Blinking quickly, Shepard tried to lean up, but a stab of pain in her abdomen sent her gasping. She pressed her left hand to the source of the pain and felt bandages, covering what was no doubt a gunshot wound, beneath her shirt. Keeping her hand in place, she carefully managed to lean up and look around.

The familiar medbay from the Normandy met her eyes, though Dr. Chakwas was nowhere to be seen, and the shutters were closed, blocking any view to the mess hall. Looking to either side of her, she saw more bags on the floor identical to hers and cold realization set in.

_I'm in a body bag._

Quickly, Alex jumped to her feet, her stiff muscles protesting, and, almost falling twice, managed to get out and away from the black bag. She ran a hand through her hair, which was surprisingly short, as she tried to remember how she got here.

_We were on Earth, pushing towards the beam. Ashley and Liara were with me, they got hurt and the Normandy picked them up._

"_You mean everything to me Liara, you always will."_

_I was running, people dying all around me. Harbinger fired and I tried to get out of the way, then… nothing._

Alex shook her head in frustration and rubbed her face tiredly, but stopped when she saw her hand, there was green… things running through her skin. Shepard blinked, convinced she must be imagining things, but it didn't disappear. She looked at herself for the first time and saw that the green was on both hands and ran up her arms. She looked under her shirt and at her bare feet to confirm that it was indeed all over her body.

_Cybernetics? This is different from any cybernetics I've ever seen… or been implanted with._

_I need to find Chakwas._

She headed out of the medbay and was surprised to not see anyone eating, or just milling, in the mess hall. Shepard continued on towards the elevator, but stopped dead in front of the Memorial Wall, her eyes glued to the new additions beneath the Alliance symbol.

**Commander Shepard**

**ADM David Anderson**

Her breath caught in her throat as she reached out with a shaking hand and traced the two new plaques with her fingertips.

_What happened?_

"Didn't expect to see you up and around."

Alex spun around, not having heard the elevator open or the Lieutenant step out, "Well I am."

Vega chuckled as he stepped up beside her, "So I can see. You were in rough shape when we found you; to be honest I didn't expect you to make it."

Shepard pointed at the Memorial Wall, "Is that why **that** is up there?"

James looked where she was pointing and raised an eyebrow, "You hit your head or are the painkillers scrambling your brain? The Commander has nothing to do with you."

She laughed bitterly, "Is this some kind of joke? I wake up in a body bag-"

The Lieutenant tried to interrupt her, but she just talked over him.

"In a body bag, and come out to find my name on the Wall when I'm standing right here, very much alive!"

She reached for the Shepard plaque but Vega latched onto her wrist, "Don't you mess with that."

Alex jerked her hand loose and glared, "Stand down, Lieutenant. I took you down once, Vega, and I will do so again."

She reached again, but this time when Vega reached out to stop her she grasped onto his wrist and jerked him towards her, using his momentum to twist his arm around behind him and planted a foot in his back, sending him stumbling into the wall. Her fingers were just closing on the plaque when the elevator opened and a blast sent her flying into the Starboard Observation Deck door, a Stasis field keeping her flat against it, unable to move. Liara, her face twisted in a snarl, and Lieutenant Commander Williams, dressed in her armor and fully armed, stepped off the elevator.

"Lieutenant, what the hell is going on?" Williams demanded.

James climbed to his feet from where he had leaped out of the way of the biotic blast, "This loca is convinced she's the Commander!"

Ashley walked up to the immobile woman, Liara right beside her, the blue glow of her biotics reflecting off the walls, and Vega trailing behind. Alex could only watch as they approached and desperately tried to call forth her biotics, to no avail.

The duo stopped directly in front of her, Liara with her open hand outstretched holding the field and Williams with her arms crossed.

"Who are you?" Liara all but growled.

The stasis field lifted off her head, enabling her to speak, "I think I should be asking you that. This obviously isn't the crew I-"

Her words cut off in a strangled gasp as the field tightened around her body, threatening to crush her as Liara's open hand slowly started to close into a fist. The field continued to close until it felt as though she was going to implode, her joints groaning under the constant exertion. Ash put a hand on Liara's shoulder and the pressure eased, leaving Shepard gasping, her face bright red.

The Lieutenant Commander stepped forward looking straight into Alex's eyes, "Let's try again. State your name."

Shepard grit her teeth, eyes narrowed, "I am Commander Alexandra Shepard of the SSV-"

Ashley's armored fist cut her off as it smashed into her jaw. The captive Commander could taste blood; more of the red liquid running down her chin from her newly split lip. Anger flared to life within her, fueled by the betrayal from the ones she trusted most. Her skin began to feel as though it was crawling as Vega stepped up and started arguing with Williams, their words going unheard by Shepard. Suddenly, the crawling stopped and, like the flicking of a light switch, her biotics flared to life, breaking the stasis field holding her.

Liara's shocked expression was the only warning they got, unnoticed by James and Ashley, as Shepard blasted them back and immediately threw up a barrier. Ash and Liara rolled to their feet, assault rifle and pistol in their hands respectively, and took up positions with Liara, her biotics flared even brighter, in the forefront with Ash on her left and the unarmed Vega on her right.

Ashley's rifle didn't stray from its target as she barely turned to look at the Lieutenant, "Why didn't you tell us she was a biotic?!"

Vega just shrugged exasperatedly, "How was I supposed to know?"

Dr. Chakwas chose that moment to walk out of the crew quarters, datapad in hand, and directly between the trio and Shepard, "What is going on out here?"

James jumped forward and attempted to drag the doctor back, "Need to get back Doc, this chicka has gone loca."

The Doctor let herself be pulled by Vega, but turned to get her first look at Shepard, still holding the barrier and wiping the blood from her chin, "Who has gone… Oh my!"

Chakwas' datapad hit the ground as she stumbled, her face draining of color, "It is not possible!"

She pointed at Shepard, "I declared you dead two hours ago!"

Alex shook her head, a slight burn starting to build behind her eyes, "Obviously I'm not."

Shepard looked down, not listening to what was being said, the growing pain in her head blocking out all else. The blue glow surrounding her dimmed and flickered as the pounding grew, making her feel as though her head was about to explode. A weak impact on her barrier jerked her head back up to see the Doctor standing just on the other side, despite the protests of the others.

"Stay back!" Alex yelled, well aware that her barrier was growing weaker by the second as the pounding in her head intensified.

Chakwas shook her head, "You do not have an implant, your nervous system is overloading."

"What are you talking about, yes I…" Shepard reached back to feel the hard not where her biotic implant should have been, but felt nothing.

_No… It can't be…_

Her eyes widened, blood running from her nose as the pain reached its peak, "What did you do Chakwas?"

Her vision started to darken as the barrier faded until it was barely visible, then vanished all together as Shepard lost consciousness and sagged to the floor. Chakwas immediately knelt by the unconscious women's side, satisfied when she found a pulse, and turned to the Lieutenant and Lieutenant Commander, "Get her to the medbay, and use the arm and leg restraints."

Ash and Vega nodded and quickly dragged her away between them, leaving Chakwas and Liara standing there.

"I thought humans could not use biotics without an implant, Doctor?"

Chakwas turned to the Asari, her expression grave, "They cannot, but according to her medical file, she is not a biotic."

"Then how…?"

The Doctor shook her head, "I have no idea Dr. T'Soni. She should not even be alive right now, and yet she was and using a power that she should have been incapable of."

Chakwas started towards the medbay, Liara right beside her, "Something very strange is going on here."

* * *

**I know this chapter does little to explain what is going on, but all will be explained in good time.**

**Leave a review to let me know what you think so far, or feel free to PM me with any questions or whatnot.**

**Let me know what y'all think!**


End file.
